Super Kings restrict Kings XI to 136 in IPL

Chennai, March 21 : Veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took three for 16 in his four overs as the Chennai Super Kings restricted Kings XI Punjab to 136 for eight in 20 overs, here Sunday.

Put in to bat, the Punjab outfit, still to win a game, failed to build on a bright start that opener Irfan Pathan 39 (32b, 1 x 6, 5 x 4) provided as the middle-order, including experienced Sri Lankan stars Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, collapsed while Yuvraj Singh (43, 28b, 2 x 6, 4 x 4) played a lone hand in the latter half of the innings.

The spotlight was on Muralitharan who bamboozled the Kings XI batsmen, few of whom had any clue to the wiles of the offie as he dismissed Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Mohd Kaif. The Super Kings fielders also came up with two run-outs and a couple of top catches.